If you happen to be a subscriber to the 247 site, I either wouldn't recommend reading the comments if you have thin skin or if you're not a Tennessee fan altogether. I started to add a well thought out and semi intelligent comment but it became very clear to me that they would not be interested in my point of view. Throughout the many "Appy State" comments and other references to a less than capable opponent, I decided that it would be a futile effort.

ASU84 wrote:If you happen to be a subscriber to the 247 site, I either wouldn't recommend reading the comments if you have thin skin or if you're not a Tennessee fan altogether. I started to add a well thought out and semi intelligent comment but it became very clear to me that they would not be interested in my point of view. Throughout the many "Appy State" comments and other references to a less than capable opponent, I decided that it would be a futile effort.

There is no reasoning with UT fans. This is their first good team in nearly a decade. These fans believe it's SEC Championship game or bust.

P.s. Appy State makes my skin crawl.

They think they are going to take the SEC so it does not surprise me that they expect to roll us. The Vegas line opened at 30+ so until we prove we can play with these guys we will get no respect. I am also not really saying there is a legitimate reason otherwise either.

As of today, the line is down to 22.

Got this from a friend, a quote which appeared in the Tennessean:

“The Vols open their season versus Appalachian State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Neyland Stadium. After that, the schedule gets tougher…”

App74 wrote:Got this from a friend, a quote which appeared in the Tennessean:

“The Vols open their season versus Appalachian State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Neyland Stadium. After that, the schedule gets tougher…”

Them looking past us is our best chance, let's not give them reason to give us more attention.

Hope the Vols' players have the same attitude as their fans. Go ahead and look forward to your future schedule when it "gets tougher".

Do you guys know why Tennessee fans wear orange? So they can dress for football on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick-up trash on Monday . . .

It's an old joke, but still makes me smile. Give 'em Hell Apps!

MtnDevil95 wrote:Do you guys know why Tennessee fans wear orange? So they can dress for football on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick-up trash on Monday . . .

It's an old joke, but still makes me smile. Give 'em Hell Apps!

*Googles for south Georgia sanitation companies with a navy blue scheme*

Understand why we don't like the implication, but their next six games after us are:

VT in Bristol
Ohio
Florida
@Georgia
@Texas A&M
Alabama

If most of that schedule isn't tougher than a home game against us, then we're in for a hell of a year.

ASU84 wrote:If you happen to be a subscriber to the 247 site, I either wouldn't recommend reading the comments if you have thin skin or if you're not a Tennessee fan altogether. I started to add a well thought out and semi intelligent comment but it became very clear to me that they would not be interested in my point of view. Throughout the many "Appy State" comments and other references to a less than capable opponent, I decided that it would be a futile effort.

Vol fan here,

First, I want to start off by saying I have a great amount of respect for your coach and your program. As a fan, I don't overlook anyone and I expect App State (?) to give us everything they've got. I understand that there are fans on various outlets saying otherwise, but everyone has "those fans" no matter what the majority are like. Just a quick breakdown...we return all but 1 on the OL, and all but 2 at the skill positions on offense. Hurd , Kamara, and Dobbs are our "3 headed monster" along with a few young, talented receivers. Defensively, we return just about everyone and are expecting our defense to be a huge strength this year. Our DL specifically. We finally have some depth, and talented depth at that.

Aside from that, I'd like to hear about Appalachian State. Traditions, Outlook on the season, key players etc. Hopefully we can have a good time, and talk some football until it's time to strap it up.

Go Vols!

Deleted

Got mo problem with the statement. The schedule does get tougher.

I'd rather be playing them after VT......

Welcome VFL - I'll give you a capsule on our team (with a little commentary mixed in):

Offensively we play no-huddle, though not especially high-tempo. We are run-first, with stretch zone and zone read as our bread and butter. We then like to use that to set up play-action and throw downfield (we were among the national leaders in passing ypa and ypc last year). We use a lot of 3WR but also a fair amount of 2 WR/1 TE/1 H-back personnel.

We return an all-conference QB and a great stable of RBs. We are replacing all our starting WRs, which isn't *necessarily* bad - the new guys are bigger and more athletic than the guys they're replacing. But the previous group had started for years and were reliable blockers and route runners, and those have been question marks in the past with the younger WRs.

QB Taylor Lamb won't blow you away with his physical tools, but he makes (mostly) good decisions and puts enough zip on the ball to get it where it needs to go. He's not especially fast but is a dangerous runner because he usually does a great job of deciding when to hand off vs. keep on the zone read.

We lost two OL starters, and while we return a good deal of experience and talent there, I think there's still some concern as to how the line will perform. We're reportedly shifting guys around in camp trying to find the right combo, including playing our starting NT at guard. Depth is definitely an issue here. BUT, I would still expect that ultimately the OL will be very good as long as they stay healthy; whether we're at midseason form by week 1 remains to be seen.

One thing that hurt us at times last year was unforced turnovers. We had some killer mistakes in both losses (not that we'd have beaten Clemson anyway, but we might've at least hung with them longer), and a couple other games were far closer than they should have been if not for our mistakes.

Defensively, we were very good last year (11th nationally in total D) and should be good again, despite losing a few key players. We play a 3-4 with mostly undersized players on the outside. We've got a couple 315 lb. NTs who will try to clog the middle and allow the other guys to make plays. The LBs are probably the stars of this defense - the top four are entering their third year starting together as a group (2 srs., 2 jrs.). We do have good depth on all levels defensively, so expect to see us sub frequently in the front 7 to try and mitigate fatigue. TBH, though, I'm not sure our small DEs will be able to hold up against UT's line, especially vs. the run.

Of note on defense is that in addition to losing a couple of players to the NFL, our top returning corner (who had 7 INTs last year) is academically ineligible for the season. We have one safety with NFL size/speed; most of the rest of our secondary, while capable players, are fairly small. Watch for the safeties to go for big hits to try and make a statement, especially early. AJ Howard is only 5'10", but loves to hit and play right to the echo of the whistle.

I think going into this game a lot of us are wondering if App can hang in there to halftime or beyond. As well as we've done against G5 opponents since moving up from FCS, we've suffered early knockouts in our last couple games vs. P5s. I definitely think there are plenty of P5 teams App could handle. I'm just not sure Tennessee is one of them.

EHApp,

That was a great breakdown of the team. Makes me feel like I need to go back and do a little more on my breakdown haha. Which I may do once I get a little more free time today.

So as for tradition, I'm sure you guys know Tennessee has plenty of it. Running through the T, the Vol Walk, Rocky Top, etc. (By the way, I'm more than willing to answer any questions you guys may have.) But what about App State's traditions?

Hey VFL25,

I know as a fan I appreciate you reaching out in the way you did (don't think we wont let you hear it when we pull the upset. hahaha.). Until EHApp is able to get back to you I was just gonna give you a short response to your question. I can be honest I am relatively young compared to a lot of alumni on here so I am probably not the best to give you a tradition and history lesson, but maybe just a few things you might enjoy. One thing if your interested is we have a really amazing videography crew that put is a ton of time and are nationally recognized annually. They have won a number of awards and you can find their work online on Youtube under App State Football. I think the one great thing about the area and it adds to the game day atmosphere here is how Boone has a small town feel to it. We were tops in attendance for the latter part of our stay in FCS. I think one thing I will point out is that even though we have a very rich football tradition the school and program have changed and grew so rapidly of the last 10 years that the schools traditions and cultures I believe are doing the same thing. I am sure that some others on here can add much more to what I have to say, but I highly recommend checking out some of the videography work and look out for what they put out before and after the UT game.

VFL,
Welcome to the board. I was able to get a parking pass for lot C7. Can you tell me if that lot is good for tailgating and if there are any good restaurants/bars close by?

TheMoody1 wrote:VFL,
Welcome to the board. I was able to get a parking pass for lot C7. Can you tell me if that lot is good for tailgating and if there are any good restaurants/bars close by?

Most lots around Neyland are good for tailgating. I'm not 100% sure on C7, but I would assume it would be. I'll do a little research and try to come back with a better answer for you. As far as bars/restaurants nearby, your lot is a street over from Cumberland Ave, aka "The Strip", which will have everything you're looking for. I would recommend Copper Cellar.